Global LCA Data Access (GLAD) network
The Global LCA Data Access (GLAD) network provides a search engine to find and access LCT datasets from different independently operated LCA databases (nodes). The interoperability of data from different nodes and in different formats is achieved through a set of metadata descriptors required for all datasets linked to GLAD. Furthermore, nodes joining the GLAD network commit to fulfilling a minimum set of requirements, including: use of one of the main data exchange formats, a common flow nomenclature, that all meta-information of datasets is provided in the English language (as a minimum), and that the meta-information is freely available.
Guidance on how to establish a node and how to link datasets to GLAD, by completing the metadata descriptors in either the ILCD or ecoSpold v2 format, is available to datasets providers on the GLAD website.
New database initiatives should not underestimate the value of being interoperable with other data sources and the visibility that a platform such as the GLAD network can offer. Users appreciate database providers that simplify  how to find, import and use their LCA data.
UNEP serves as the secretariat for the Global LCA Data Access (GLAD) network, which is maintained by the Life Cycle Initiative and strives for better data accessibility and interoperability among different sources of data.
